Mohit-Sonarika FC#8 Most Electrofying Couple - Page 85

Simply Divine!

For some strange reason, the shrines of Lord Shiva always end up being in some faraway place; you have to hike and trek and go through some level of hardship before you can reach Him. Even if He is known as Bhola - gullible - He makes sure you earn your due!

Meeting the hunk of Indian television, who is currently making headlines with his role as the hot-God Mahadev, was a little like that.

Firstly, trying to meet an actor who shoots from nine in the morning till nine in the night, because he has not one but three roles to play, is in itself a mountainous, if not impossible task. So I decided to catch Mohit Raina on the shooting floor; surely he would have a small part of an hour to spare.

Secondly, just like the numerous abodes of the powerful deity he plays, the sets are located away from the city in some far-flung place, where the usual means of public transport don't venture. Hitchhiking and squeezing into share-a-ricks, those big ones that you only find in rural areas, I reached the location, flanked by low hills. The dry, dusty and unpopulated place seemed the perfect setting for a mythological show.

As he stood up to greet me in his vanity, I realised why Mohit is so popular – tall, dark and handsome, clichd, but it sure sums him up. He has a deep enticing voice, but he is a soft-spoken guy, not something that you would expect from one who plays an easily angered God. As the interview progressed I realised how simply human he is.

My first question is the most obvious… how does it feel to play God?

"I've got used to it now," he says instantly, like he was already expecting it. "Personally, I don't feel anything like God. I'm just the same. I'm a normal human being. But people are forcing me into it, and I guess then for their happiness I'm willing to continue portraying myself as a God. But when I meet people I realise how much faith they have in me. They will say, 'Can we just see you for like, two seconds?' They say I make their day. That feels nice."

The Indian entertainment industry has always been ruled by, or been partial to Lord Vishnu and his incarnations or Lord Ganesha and his tactics. Suddenly the public has a new God to love. Mahadev has always been worshipped as the powerful one, but was never popular on screen. Mohit has sure managed to change that, and across demographics too...

"I personally think that Shiva is the Supreme Creator. His calendar image is found in most Indian households. But I guess it was never showcased on such a scale; more importantly, his personal life was never showcased. People really wanted to know more about that - about how a God would live, what are His needs, His wants, and how He is personally – not just His equation with His devotees. Like no one knew that He even had a daughter, or the basic reason why He chopped off Ganesha's head. All these minute details are getting people really interested.

"Also, right now this is the phase where Shiva is not exactly treated as a God. For the young generation He is hot, kind of sexy; that image of a typical God has changed a little bit. This is a generation that won't really go to a Shiv temple on Mondays but they will have a Shiva tattoo and sport rudraaksh beads. It's that phase where people are really relating to Him in their own way, which is not necessarily religious. It's all also related to the Shiva Trilogy books, and the series."

Mohit is too humble to take any credit for his contribution to the popularity of the series or the sudden fervour that has picked up about this deity. But while earlier twiddling my fingers waiting for him to arrive, I have gathered enough tidbits to know that he works hard and works-out even harder. Playing multiple roles keeps him long hours on the sets; to top it he is showcasing his well-toned body almost all the time...

"I don't have an option because Mahadev has to look fit and has to look good! It has become part of my lifestyle now since I've been doing this for more than a year-and-a-half. So I go to the gym and come here and go back home. It's a very normal routine and very boring, no personal life right now, but I'm loving every part of it; I'm a workaholic so it suits me just fine."

That is not nice coming from a nice, good-looking young chap. If he isn't careful he might just slip into a reclusive, brooding guy, just like the character he plays. He must have something he does for fun, or to unwind...

"I don't need to do something to have fun; I enjoy my work. That is more important for me. Playing three characters at the same time is my unwinding thing. Right now I have to change different looks, which itself is a challenge to me. I personally think that in television you don't get to play these roles very often, so I've taken this as a very 'lifetime achievement' kind of thing because I know I'm not going to get this chance again. I don't know what is in the future, I don't know about tomorrow, so I want to give it my best right now for as long as it is on. That is my challenge – moving from one character to another, trying to surprise myself and the director, trying to do something better or do something different."

Clearly he is as smitten by his work, as my mom is by his screen image. He must feel a strong connect there – being in character, spending time with Him in the head all day...

"Yes, I do. I know it sounds very philosophical – in fact I don't know how this will sound – but I think maybe Shiva was never portrayed in such a way and maybe He chose me to play Him; like, just go and show to people what He is all about, who He is. I've realised after the series went on that people really thought it was changing their lives. I've had people tell me 'Sir, aapne jo teen sau char episode mein bola tha usse meri life badal gayi'. I remember there was an episode where I was giving some gyaan to the people and was saying that greed is something that you should not follow. I met a guy from Himachal who said that he was on the verge of doing something wrong but he saw that episode and changed his mind. I realised how seriously people are taking you. This is not just another daily serial, people have faith in you. So I felt maybe I was the chosen one and He wanted me to go out there and maybe give some 22 minutes of happiness to people and I'm taking it that way. I'm taking on the responsibility of showing people what He would want to if He was around to do it Himself. There are a lot of people who tell me that I was born to play this; of course I refuse to believe that."

You have to enjoy the moment, I say. Take the compliment and maybe then go on being your old human self...

"I am enjoying the moment. But I don't want to feel like God. It's quite difficult to play God. I had gone to Delhi a couple of months ago to visit someone at a hospital. The only room in the hospital where I was not available was the one belonging to the person whom I had gone to visit – I was in every other room because every patient's relative wanted me to come and see and treat them. They would really think that I would just raise my hand and some miracle would happen. That's not an easy thing to believe, it's disturbing too. At that moment, I realised I couldn't do anything but be human, say hello and add that things would be fine. Of course the doctors were surely doing their part. But that is when I realised that even the doctors wanted to come and meet me. There is no restriction on the type of people; there is no particular genre or a set of people who believe in it. I've been meeting people from IT companies, politicians, business people; every generation is loving it - the child of the house will say 'Uncle, you really look sexy, like a Greek god' and the aunty would say, 'Beta tum bahut achcha kaam kar rahe ho, you really look like a God'. The entire family is connected to it. That is the best part."

That makes sense. Despite our belief in ourselves as progressive people, Indians are still a religious-minded set...

"India is a religious place where people really believe in religion. When you talk about Shiva you have to be very careful about what you are saying. That is why we used to make sure that we don't show anything that will hurt their sentiments or their belief. I've been told that I am not just playing Shiva but really making people believe that God is present."

All this plain thinking coming from one who has been a model to begin with, working in a more open-cultured and progressive industry – be it the way you talk, walk, behave, eat, look, conduct yourself – it's westernised, whether you like it or not. And then playing a God where your image expects you to toe the moral line. Did he have to make personal lifestyle changes?

"I never really enjoyed the modelling culture. I was just a small town guy who wanted to come to Mumbai and do something big. For people like us, modelling pageants are the only way to make that transition. Otherwise I had no access to Mumbai. But when I came and started modelling I didn't do it for a very long time; I realised that I didn't really enjoy it much. I was more of an expressive person. As an actor it would be more creative, satisfy my creative greed I would say, so that's why I wanted to and managed to shift to acting as soon as possible.

"After a few stints on other shows and even a movie, when Star called me for a look test, I think they really saw in me the image that they wanted in the character. What they have told me is that maybe because I'm from Kashmir, my mountainous looks and sharp features like my jawline and nose, was what they were looking for. In television if you fit the look, I guess half the battle is won. And so that's how I landed here."

What's the next step now?

"I've stopped planning; I used to plan a lot earlier but not anymore. Definitely films at some point. But right now I'm in a very happy space, enjoying what I am doing."